35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent contribution to the world of reading! A truly masterpiece!, September 18, 2005
This review is from: Summarization in Any Subject: 50 Techniques to Improve Student Learning (Paperback)
As part of my relentless pursuit of tools & strategies to turbo-charge my own reading performance, & ultimately, to improve my success coaching to kids/teens/adults, I am constantly on the lookout for books & other resources in bookstores as well as on the net. I came across this amazing book while straying into the website of ASCD (Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development), a worldwide, non-profit educational association dedicated to the success of every learner. Not only I bought the book from them, but also became a member of ASCD.
I already know how to summarize, & am proud to say that I am pretty good at it, too, but I didn't know there are 50 ways to do it. They are systematically arranged in an alphabetical order for easy & quick reference. Each & every technique is fully described & with varied forms in the pages that follow. In fact, the author has even provided a reference Chart of Summarisation Techniques.
In a nutshell, summarization is the act of restating essential information from text or an experience in as few words as possible or in a new, yet efficient, manner. I have always thought that summarization must be done in writing. This book tells me: YES! it can be done in writing, but also orally, dramatically, artistically, visually, physically, musically, in groups or individually.
The author, a teacher with twenty-four years of teaching experience, has contributed a masterpiece to the world of reading.
The book, printed in large format, is written primarily as a comprehensive instruction & resource guide for English & reading teachers. For the teacher, this is definitely a great tool for enhancing not only their own lecturing methods, but their students' learning & performance.
For the student, relating what has been observed or experienced in a clear, succinct manner, orally or in written form, is a helpful skill to master. More critically, when they attend lecture or read or writing news articles, identifying the salient information, no matter what subject they pursue & structuring that information for meaning & successful application, are not only part of effective study skills, but will serve as effective life skills in the long term.
In a knowledge-based economy, workers must be able to read or perceive something, then make sense of it by manipulating the information, reorganize it, & applying it to a new situation. They must constantly & freely explore new ideas & analyse them. This process is similar to the one journalists use to relate the daily news.
Summarisation is indeed a real world skill.
Learning the 50 techniques may be daunting at first, but the payoff is great. As a success coach to kids/teens, I can testify to this.
Most of the techniques can be adapted & enhanced, with a little imagination, for use with non-academic materials, so professionals in business & industry can learn & master them, too.
To help the reader in summarization savvy, the author has included special instructional practices for teachers in the beginning chapter. In addition, the author has also presented a special section on paraphrasing. I concur with the author that paraphrasing is fundamental to creating summaries. I must highlight that these additions are truly excellent pieces of work by the author.
At the end of the book, there are sample texts & summarization practice activities. The Resources is also a goldmine of information.
This is not a book that you can just read in one go. You have to work on it as you read. You have to do a lot of thinking & reflecting. The author puts this in perspective at the onset: "AS YOU READ THIS BOOK, PLEASE STOP AT REGULAR INTERVALS & SUMMARISE WHAT YOU'VE READ."
Attention readers, irrespective of whether you are a student or a teacher, or a working professional in business & industry, I strongly urge you to get hold of this book. You will be summarization-savvy in no time, just like what I have achieved.
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